Two US senators have called for an official investigation into Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” program following its link to accidents at railroad crossings.

Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut sent a letter on Monday to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), expressing their concerns about Tesla’s self-driving program.

The letter stated: “Accidents between cars and trains often result in fatalities and serious injuries, thus the system’s failure to safely handle railroad crossings poses a significant risk and threatens a catastrophic accident,” according to NBC News.

The letter urged the agency to “open an official investigation and take necessary measures to protect people.”

Earlier, an NBC News report revealed that many Tesla electric vehicle users reported that the self-driving program fails to recognize railroad crossings, endangering drivers and passengers.

Over recent years, many drivers have expressed frustration with the self-driving system’s malfunctions when stopping at railroad crossings, as the program fails to detect crossings, barriers, and lights regulating traffic, sometimes nearly crossing while a train is passing.

NBC News noted that many drivers posted videos showing malfunctions of the self-driving program.

The network found that more than 40 users have posted videos of these malfunctions on social media platforms since 2023.

The senators referred in their letter to a 2024 video documenting a Tesla car in self-driving mode crashing into a railroad barrier, causing it to slide off the road.

Earlier this month, the US highway safety administration said it had contacted Tesla to gather more details about accidents occurring at railroad crossings.

Last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he plans to launch a new version of the self-driving program but did not clarify whether this version would address issues related to railroad crossings.

The Full Self-Driving program relies on a set of technologies that assist driving without human intervention but under supervision, and the company promotes it as the “future of transportation.”